Couscous was a staple in my diet, up until a few years ago. I used to go through 3 boxes of the Near East couscous in a week! I remember making it in college with a side of roasted or sautéed veggies thinking it was healthy, but there was so much sodium per serving. One of the things I love most about cooking at home is that I know exactly what is going into my food. This recipe uses cauliflower as the couscous "base" and is mixed with toasted pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes and charred broccoli. It's vegan, gluten and dairy-free and is great on its own, or served as a side with an additional protein.

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup of pine nuts

1 head of cauliflower

1/2 head of broccoli

1/2 jar of sun-dried tomatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

salt & pepper to taste

Steps:

Wash the cauliflower and broccoli and chop into small small florets.

Line a baking sheet with foil and drizzle with olive oil. Toss the broccoli in salt and pepper and broil for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the tops are charred. Remove from the oven and set aside.

In a small pan, heat pine nuts over medium heat for 4-6 minutes (until golden brown). Set aside.

Place the cauliflower florets in the food processor and pulse into small pieces. You can also buy pre-made cauliflower rice at your local grocery store.

In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in the garlic and riced cauliflower.

Sauté cauliflower couscous for 10-12 minutes.

Add in the sun-dried tomatoes and pour some of the olive oil from the sun-dried tomato jar over the cauliflower. Stir for an additional 5-7 minutes.